‘1.   The BSE status of Member States or third countries or regions thereof (hereinafter referred to as “countries or regions”) shall be determined by classification into one of the following three categories:

The BSE status of countries or regions may be determined only on the basis of the criteria set out in Annex II, Chapter A. These criteria shall include the outcome of a risk analysis on the basis of all the potential factors for the appearance of bovine spongiform encephalopathy as defined in Annex II, Chapter B, and their development over time, as well as comprehensive active and passive surveillance measures taking into account the risk category of the country or region.

Member States, and third countries wishing to be retained on the list of third countries approved for the export to the Community of the live animals or of the products covered by this Regulation, shall submit to the Commission an application for their BSE status to be determined, accompanied by the relevant information on the criteria set out in Annex II, Chapter A, and on the potential risk factors specified in Annex II, Chapter B, and their development over time.’;

‘4.   Member States and third countries which have not submitted an application in accordance with the third subparagraph of paragraph 1 shall, with respect to the dispatch from their territory of live animals and products of animal origin, comply with the import requirements applicable to countries with an undetermined BSE risk, until they have submitted such an application and a final decision has been taken on their BSE status.’;

‘1.   Each Member State shall carry out an annual monitoring programme for TSEs based on active and passive surveillance in accordance with Annex III. If available for the animal species, that programme shall include a screening procedure using rapid tests.

Rapid tests shall be approved for that purpose in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 24(3) and listed in Annex X.’;

‘1a.   The annual monitoring programme referred to in paragraph 1 shall cover as a minimum the following subpopulations:

Member States may decide to derogate from the provision under point (c) in remote areas with a low animal density, where no collection of dead animals is organised. Member States making use of this possibility shall inform the Commission and submit a list of the areas concerned together with a justification for the derogation. The derogation shall not cover more than 10 % of the bovine population in a Member State.

1b.   After consultation of the appropriate scientific committee, the age laid down in paragraph 1a(a) and (c) may be adapted according to scientific progress in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 24(3).

At the request of a Member State which can demonstrate the improvement of the epidemiological situation of the country, according to certain criteria to be laid down in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 24(3), the annual monitoring programmes for that particular Member State may be revised.

The Member State concerned shall provide proof of its capability to determine the effectiveness of the measures in place and ensure protection of human and animal health based on a comprehensive risk analysis. In particular, the Member State shall demonstrate:

‘5.   Rules for the implementation of this Article shall be adopted in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 24(2).’;

‘1.   The feeding to ruminants of protein derived from animals shall be prohibited.

2.   The prohibition provided for in paragraph 1 shall be extended to animals other than ruminants and restricted, as regards the feeding of those animals with products of animal origin, in accordance with Annex IV.

3.   Paragraphs 1 and 2 shall apply without prejudice to the provisions laid down in Annex IV setting out the derogations from the prohibition contained in those paragraphs.

The Commission may decide in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 24(3), based on a scientific assessment of the dietary needs of young ruminants and subject to the rules adopted for the implementation of this Article provided for in paragraph 5 of this Article, and following an assessment of the control aspects of this derogation, to allow the feeding of young animals of ruminant species with proteins derived from fish.

4.   Member States, or regions thereof, with an undetermined BSE risk shall not be permitted to export or store feed intended for farmed animals which contains protein derived from mammals or feed intended for mammals, except feed for dogs, cats and fur animals, which contains processed protein derived from mammals.

Third countries, or regions thereof, with an undetermined BSE risk shall not be permitted to export to the Community feed intended for farmed animals which contains protein derived from mammals or feed intended for mammals, except feed for dogs, cats and fur animals, which contains processed protein derived from mammals.

At the request of a Member State or third country a decision in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 24(2) may be taken, following detailed criteria to be laid down in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 24(3), to grant individual exemptions from the restrictions in this paragraph. Any exemption shall take account of the provisions provided for in paragraph 3 of this Article.’;

‘4a.   Based on a favourable risk assessment taking into account at least the amount and possible source of contamination and the final destination of the consignment, a decision may be taken in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 24(3) to introduce a tolerance level for insignificant amounts of animal proteins in feedingstuffs caused through adventitious and technically unavoidable contamination.’;

‘5.   Rules for the implementation of this Article, in particular rules on the prevention of cross-contamination and on the methods of sampling and analysis required to check compliance with this Article, shall be adopted in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 24(2). Those rules shall be based on a report of the Commission covering sourcing, processing, control and traceability of feedingstuffs of animal origin.’;

‘1.   Any animal suspected of being infected by a TSE shall be either placed under an official movement restriction until the results of a clinical and epidemiological examination carried out by the competent authority are known, or killed for laboratory examination under official control.

If a TSE is officially suspected in a bovine animal at a holding in a Member State, all other bovine animals at that holding shall be placed under an official movement restriction until the results of the examination are available. If a TSE is officially suspected in an ovine or caprine animal at a holding in a Member State, all other ovine and caprine animals at that holding shall be placed under an official movement restriction until the results are available.

However, if there is evidence that the holding where the animal was present when the TSE was suspected is unlikely to be the holding where the animal could have been exposed to the TSE, the competent authority may decide that only the animal suspected of being infected shall be placed under an official movement restriction.

If considered necessary, the competent authority may also decide that other holdings or only the holding of exposure shall be placed under official control depending on the epidemiological information available.

In accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 24(2) and by way of derogation from the official movement restrictions provided for in this paragraph, a Member State may be exempted from implementing such restrictions if it applies measures offering equivalent safeguards based on an appropriate assessment of the possible risks for human and animal health.’;

‘3.   All parts of the body of the suspect animal shall be either retained under official control until a negative diagnosis has been made, or disposed of in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1774/2002.’;

‘2.   Products of animal origin imported from a third country with a controlled or undetermined BSE risk shall come from healthy bovine, ovine and caprine animals which have not been subjected to a laceration of the central nervous tissue or gas injection into the cranial cavity as referred to in Article 8(3).

3.   Food products of animal origin containing material obtained from bovine animals originating in a country or region with an undetermined BSE risk shall not be placed on the market unless they come from animals which:

Furthermore, food products of ruminant origin shall not be dispatched from a Member State or a region thereof with an undetermined BSE risk to another Member State or be imported from a third country with an undetermined BSE risk.

This prohibition shall not apply to products of animal origin listed in Annex VIII, Chapter C, and fulfilling the requirements of Annex VIII, Chapter C.

They must be accompanied by an animal health certificate issued by an official veterinarian certifying that they have been produced in conformity with this Regulation.’;